


Heliocentric

by Vetashad



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Date Night, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Neck Kissing, UshiTen Week 2020, Ushiten Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:26:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26184901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vetashad/pseuds/Vetashad
Summary: Wakatoshi had been planning this night, this date, for weeks now. If he was being completely honest with himself, he could admit that he had been planning it for years, this fire kindled inside of him way back in high school. Tonight, Wakatoshi was going to ask Satori, his Satori, to marry him.
Relationships: Semi Eita & Ushijima Wakatoshi, Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Comments: 7
Kudos: 205
Collections: Ushiten Week 2020





	Heliocentric

**Author's Note:**

> This is my combined piece for Day 5 and 6 of Ushiten Week 2020!!! No warnings, just sweet, sweet fluff, so make sure you brush your teeth afterwards!!
> 
> Find me on Twitter at [@vetashad](https://twitter.com/vetashad)

_“One day, I promise I’ll ask you to marry me. No matter what the world says or thinks or does, I won’t balk. I won’t waver. I love you.” Wakatoshi’s thumb brushed over Satori’s cheek, barely touching, like a whisper of wind. His skin glowed in the moonlight, pale, silvery, heavenly, a celestial being born to entrance, under Wakatoshi’s touch. He pressed a gentle kiss to Satori’s temple, who sighed, contented and asleep._

* * *

Wakatoshi had been planning this night, this _date_ , for weeks now. If he was being completely honest with himself, he could admit that he had been planning it for years, this fire kindled inside of him way back in high school. Tonight, Wakatoshi was going to ask Satori, _his Satori_ , to marry him.

He had timed it perfectly: on the night of his presentation to the Pharmaceutical Board proposing new medicinal uses of dandelions, so he could pass off their dinner out as a celebration of a job well done. He didn’t want any deadlines or projects or stress looming over their heads, only a nice meal where they could completely focus on each other. He knew for a fact that Satori was in the short break between assignments at his cryptography firm, so now Wakatoshi just had to get _through_ that presentation.

“Nervous? I never thought I’d see the day the great Ushijima Wakatoshi was afraid to present!” Semi, a coworker, marketing strategist, sometimes friend, sometimes carefully considered potential punching bag, laughed. “No, seriously, what’s your deal?”

Wakatoshi leaned back in his desk chair and slipped a hand into the pocket of his trousers. Inside, he rubbed a little velvet pouch between his fingers, something he had been doing since he had tucked it safely away that morning. The pad of his finger caught the edge of a ring, _one of the rings_ , inside. A small twinge in his stomach confirmed Semi’s observation of “nervousness.”

“I’m…going to ask Satori to marry me tonight.” Wakatoshi said quietly, as if Satori, miles away in his own office, might hear him if he spoke too loudly.

Semi did not share the same such suspicions. 

“What?! No way! I’m so happy for you two!” His voice filled Wakatoshi’s office.

“It hasn’t happened yet.” Wakatoshi said flatly.

“I know, I know, but you guys are so perfect for each other! When you bring Satori to the office parties, we can all see how you look at each other. Ha, how he _hangs_ off of you.” Semi gave Wakatoshi a lopsided grin.

“We love each other very much. I just want to…promise him that. Forever.” Wakatoshi stared at the lump of his own hand in his pocket, closed around the rings.

“Holy shit, you guys are so sappy and cute. How the hell do you even get like that?” Semi laughed, again. “Anyway, you’ve got an hour on the clock before your presentation. Make sure you’re not thinking about wedding bells and honeymoon plans during it, man.” With a wave, Semi left Wakatoshi alone. Alone, with his nerves and his rings.

Wakatoshi slowly withdrew his fist, still clenched around the bag, from his pocket and laid it on the desk in front of him. He placed the rings side-by-side, nestled in the rich velvet, and stared at them, not for the first time. After a moment, he fitted one onto his finger; it was thick, solid, strong. And gold. A little band of sunshine, like the light Satori cast in his life, so warm and gentle he could bask in it all day. The other ring was smaller. A delicate silver hoop, made for a slender finger and mimicking the moon, so that Satori could carry a piece of Wakatoshi’s own steadfast serenity with him.

The sun and the moon had always inhabited the same sky, in the past, in the now, and forever into the future. They were the same, dancing in the same orbit, two people meant to be. Satori was his sun, the light of his life, and Wakatoshi was Satori’s moon, comforting and faithful. 

But, then, only an hour before he had to assume his duties of pharmaceutical botanist, project leader, and lab head, was not yet the time to start wearing the ring, no matter how deeply Wakatoshi desired it. He dropped the rings back into the bag and carefully placed it back in his pocket before turning to his computer to review his slides one last time.

* * *

“So? How did it go?” The voice on the other end was anxious. Wakatoshi chuckled.

“It went fine, Satori. Better than fine. They’ve given us more funding and more freedom to explore the effects of the dandelion genes.” Satori was always anxious about Wakatoshi’s projects, as if it was his duty to stress about things when Wakatoshi didn’t. Of course, there wasn’t much Wakatoshi stressed about at all. Usually.

A heavy exhale of relief came from the line. Wakatoshi could visualize Satori slumping over his keyboard as the air left his body. It was something he did often, lay his head on the table that, and Wakatoshi found it incredibly endearing. “That’s good! Now you can start pushing your dandelions-are-the-cure-for-cancer agenda, like, officially!”

“Yes, Satori, that’s exactly my intent.” Wakatoshi said with a small smile.

“I know! I can’t wait for the world to hear your rants, too!” Satori laughed. The phone speaker garbled some of its musicality, but Wakatoshi knew what it was supposed to sound like. What it sounded like when Satori ran into his arms for an impromptu hug. Or when he swung their linked hands on an evening walk. Or when he—“Oopsies, Wakatoshi, I gotta go. Actually have to do my job and stuff. Someone in my section screwed up some calculations and they want me, _me_ , on my between-projects break! To fix it. I’ll see you at home. Love you.”

“I love you, too, Satori.”

“Bye-bye.” Satori hung up. Wakatoshi smiled. Everything so far was running smoothly. His presentation had been a success, Satori was having an engaging day at work, and Wakatoshi was only a few blocks away from the florist he had ordered a custom-designed bouquet from for the occasion.

The bell on the door twinkled merrily when Wakatoshi entered.

“Hello! Welcome! How can I help you?” The clerk smiled at Wakatoshi from behind the counter, framed by bunches of flowers of all varieties on all sides.

“I called in a custom order for pick-up yesterday. The name is Ushijima.” Wakatoshi came to a halt in front of the register, and rested one relaxed hand on the edge of the counter.

“Of course! Let me get it for you!” The clerk busied themself checking name cards on assembled bouquets in stacked rows of black bins behind the counter. They checked all the bins once, frowned, and checked again. They turned back to Wakatoshi with a perplexed expression. “I’m sorry, sir, but there doesn’t seem to be an order for ‘Ushijima’ here. Are you sure this is the store you called? Not one of our other locations?”

“No. It was this store. Check again.” The clerk checked for a third time, Wakatoshi’s eyes boring into their back, his hand now gripping the counter.

“…I apologize, sir, but it’s not here. Maybe it got sold by mistake to another customer earlier in the day? I…could make up another one if you would like.”

“I would, thank you.” Wakatoshi had to repeat his entire order to the clerk; that wasn’t a problem, Wakatoshi had spent a lot of time thinking about all the messages he wanted to send with his floral selections. No, the problem was that he had to _wait_. Wait as the clerk hurried around the store, collecting flowers from their respective places and arranging it to Wakatoshi’s specifications. It took, to Wakatoshi, an exceedingly long amount of time as he paced, offered minor corrections, and observed. Satori had told him many times before his habit of “staring” at people put them on edge, but this time, he didn’t care. He wanted the bouquet perfect, and he wanted it that way now, no matter how much the clerk’s hands trembled as they placed flowers, pinned under Wakatoshi’s intense glare.

He had planned to be home, dressed up, and ready with the flowers before Satori got home from work, but now it looked like he would be arriving only a few minutes before Satori would, if he went quickly. Wakatoshi took a deep breath as he exited the flower shop, holding the bouquet in the crook of his arm. It was only a minor setback. He could present Satori the bouquet before they got dressed, so then they would be getting ready together. That worked out just fine.

He arrived home fifteen minutes before Satori, not long enough to get cleaned up and ready for the date, but too long to wait at the door to surprise him with the flowers, either. So Wakatoshi sat, awkwardly, bouquet in hand, on the couch, waiting for the sound of the door unlocking.

Finally, he heard it. The clinking of metal, Satori singing under his breath, the scrape of the tumblers in the lock as the key turned. And he was up in an instant, positioning himself a few feet behind the door, far enough back so that Satori could come in, close enough that Wakatoshi, and the flowers, were the first thing he saw.

His eyes widened when he saw Wakatoshi, darting from his face to the bundle of proffered flowers, then back to his face. “What’s going on, Wakatoshi?” He came inside, and shut the door slowly, behind his back.

“I thought a job well done on your end and a successful presentation on mine requires some celebration.” Wakatoshi came forward, and Satori met him halfway, throwing his arms around his neck. Wakatoshi wrapped his arms around him, bouquet still in hand behind Satori’s back.

Satori leaned back to look at him with bright eyes as Wakatoshi trailed one hand down to come to rest on his waist. “So, what’s the plan? How are we _celebrating_?” He grinned, cheeks lifted and soft. Satori had never grown facial hair, or much body hair, _it ran in the family, his father and grandfather were the same way,_ he had said, but Wakatoshi didn’t mind. All it meant was that Satori’s skin was soft and smooth under his touch and that rubbing his own stubble on him was what Satori considered “an attempt on his life,” declared through giggles.

Wakatoshi had picked up some of Satori’s playfulness in all their years together, so he leaned in to appear to whisper in his ear, then rubbed what little bristle he had since shaving that morning against Satori’s jaw and cheek, causing him to erupt into shrieks and laughter. Wakatoshi held him close until he was done, Satori slumped against his chest and giggling intermittently.

“I was thinking of a date? I called in a reservation at a nice restaurant, so we’ll need to get dressed.” Wakatoshi said, as if he had never interrupted their civil conversation. “I got you flowers.” He brought the bouquet around between them as Satori pulled his face away from Wakatoshi’s shoulder. He took it, cradling it in both arms. Wakatoshi set his other hand on Satori’s waist, holding him in a loose embrace as he marveled at the bouquet, fluffy with whites, purples, reds, and pinks.

“I saw the flowers, believe it or not. I have a good eye for that sort of thing.” Satori laughed, then continued. “I’m going to put them in a vase so you can see them, too.”

“Okay. Come to the bedroom when you’re done, so we can get out of our work clothes.” Wakatoshi let Satori walk away to the kitchen, watching him loosen his tie as he went. Satori hated ties, he thought them stupid and pretentious and much too difficult to deal with every day, but his firm required him to wear one. But, Wakatoshi didn’t. If Satori wanted to wear a sweater to the restaurant, Wakatoshi would let him; he’d let Satori be as comfortable as he wanted to be.

* * *

Satori met Wakatoshi in the bedroom moments later, having offloaded his work bag and set the flowers out in a vase.

He tossed his tie aside and started unbuttoning his shirt, turning to Wakatoshi as his long fingers deftly worked the buttons. “So, Wakatoshi, what’s the dress code? Is it super fancy? Do I have to put on another tie?”

Wakatoshi, already bare-chested, followed Satori across the room as he dropped his work shirt in the laundry hamper. He wrapped his arms around his slim waist from behind, and pressed a kiss to Satori’s neck. “No, it’s not ‘super fancy.’ Just wear something nicer than a hoodie,” he said between kisses.

Satori laughed and covered Wakatoshi’s own hands with his own, leaning back into Wakatoshi slightly, comfortable in his arms. Wakatoshi trailed gentle kisses across his nape and sides of his neck, all the way to the tops of his faintly freckled shoulders, pale skin cool under his lips. Wakatoshi was tempted to skip the date, just spend the night with Satori in his arms, tracing unseen patterns across his body with his lips.

“Toshi, Toshi, Toshi, you’re going to make us late!” Satori giggled and pushed against Wakatoshi playfully, still trapped in the circle of his embrace. “I don't even know when the reservation is for and I’m saying that! Besides, I’m starting to break my streak of being late to everything and I don’t wanna ruin that. You wouldn’t want me to ruin that, would you, Toshi?”

Wakatoshi placed one last kiss on a ridge of bone on the top of one of Satori’s shoulders, drawing it out for as long as he could, and freed him reluctantly.

* * *

They both cleaned up and got dressed, Satori laughing and playing around, slapping Wakatoshi with his sleeves and teasing him with kisses, only to skip away when Wakatoshi closed in to meet his lips. He let Satori frolic for a little, lulling him into a false sense of security that he could get away with messing with Wakatoshi, until he got particularly close, tittering at his success. 

The titter turned into a squeal as Wakatoshi grabbed Satori and pulled him against his chest. His look of wide-eyed surprise changed to a sly grin and Wakatoshi leaned in to kiss him deeply, feeling his willowy body melt against his own.

Wakatoshi pulled back before either of them were satisfied, as a little payback for the teasing, and sent Satori away to finish getting ready. While Satori was busy putting his shoes on, Wakatoshi carefully transferred the rings out of his work trousers and into his pocket, tucking them safely away for later.

* * *

They decided to walk to the restaurant since the weather was fair and was forecasted to stay that way, setting out side-by-side and fingers intertwined.

Satori chattered about his day, telling Wakatoshi about the “stupid” mistakes he had to fix in his coworker’s math, citing equations and theorems Wakatoshi no longer remembered from his calculus classes in college, and a new flavor of smoothie the juice shop across the street from his office had that was _absolutely disgusting._ He looked so offended that the flavor would even _think_ about insulting his tongue like that, and Wakatoshi had to laugh.

“What? Why are you laughing? It was horrible and gross!” Satori turned his pout on Wakatoshi.

“I’m sorry, Satori, you’re just so cute. I’m sure it was atrocious.” Wakatoshi brought their joined hands up to kiss the back of Satori’s hand as he huffed.

A shadow of a cloud blocking the sun passed over Satori’s face for a brief instant. 

* * *

They arrived at the restaurant not long after.

“Hello, and welcome.” The host’s greeting was polite, if a little flat.

“Reservation for two. Under Ushijima.” The host flipped through the reservation book, looking for a name that should have been easy to recognize. Satori cocked an eyebrow as the search lengthened, and Wakatoshi frowned. It was the same wait that he had had at the flower shop, the same wait before the clerk revealed bad news.

“I apologize, but I don’t see a reservation for Ushijima. It must have been accidentally canceled, but you’re free to wait to be seated.”

“How long is the wait?” Satori cut in, before Wakatoshi could demand the host look again, just as he had done to the clerk at the florist.

“An hour and a half.”

“Thank you. We’re going to go outside to think about it for a moment.” Wakatoshi was glad that Satori knew what to say to people when things didn’t go his way, a skill that Wakatoshi sometimes had a hard time maintaining under the pressure of stressful situations. It kept things civil, and from escalating into something even worse.

They stepped back outside into a drizzle weeping from grey clouds. 

Wakatoshi promised he wouldn’t hesitate when the right time came. It had to be perfect for Satori. But, so far, all his plans were crashing down around his ears. He had barely gotten the flowers in order, the reservation he had made had been canceled, and now it was starting to rain, and from the looks of the clouds, dark and heavy, it was going to be a downpour.

Wakatoshi turned to Satori. “I don’t think waiting an hour and a half is worth it.”

“No way, that’s way too long.” Satori stuck his tongue out in disgust for a moment, but he didn’t seem to be entirely put down by the situation like Wakatoshi was, something that was a mystery to interpret for him.

Wakatoshi was disappointed, and justifiably irked, but he didn’t want to ruin Satori’s night either. “We can go home. Order takeout and enjoy the rest of the night there. Try to make it into—”

“We don’t have to go home yet, Wakatoshi! I saw a sign for something a few blocks back that looked interesting to try. You know I’m terrible with directions, but I think it’s on the other side of that park.” Satori pointed, a mischievous gleam in his eye and a determined grin on his face. And Wakatoshi melted. Satori, _his Satori_ , was so bright, even under the gathering darkness of the rainclouds. He could find an adventure in anything, even dead ends and mistakes, and Wakatoshi knew he wanted to put that delicate ring in his pocket on Satori’s finger for the thousandth time that day. “Come on Wakatoshi, if we run, we can beat the rain!” Satori tugged on Wakatoshi’s hand; his mind was clearly already made up, but the tug was an invitation to follow. But, Wakatoshi would follow him anywhere.

They cut across the park as the sky opened up, dumping heavy drops of water that quickly turned the grass of the park slick. Satori laughed and spun, arms outstretched, face turned up to the rain. Wakatoshi couldn’t help himself; he thought Satori was the most beautiful thing on the planet, and his unbridled, musical laugh and dancing in the rain only cemented this belief further. Satori ended his dance facing Wakatoshi, grinning, before running away again, running and laughing so freely, not caring if he got soaked.

* * *

The restaurant, when they finally found its hidden, basement entrance, was a crowded hole-in-the-wall. The food was undeniably good, but it was loud and Wakatoshi could see that the proximity of the other tables and guests made Satori uncomfortable. He didn’t want to propose while Satori was so on edge: it would make it a bad experience for the both of them, and Wakatoshi wanted the moment to be perfect.

Satori leaned across the table. “The food’s good, like good enough that I would eat it again, but it’s way too packed in here. Do you think they do takeout?”

“I don’t know, Satori. We can find out, though.” It was rare to find food that Satori actually liked because he had such a small appetite and because of how picky he was, but Wakatoshi was willing to go to any length to make Satori happy. Asking if a restaurant did takeout orders was no problem at all.

Satori leaned back, satisfied with his answer, and Wakatoshi was struck by how absurd it must be that Satori was thinking about takeout, but _he_ was thinking about when the right time to propose was. That Satori had been thinking and doing normal things all day, and Wakatoshi was planning and watching and waiting for the moment to come, rings within reach.

* * *

The rain was torrential by the time they finished dinner, beating down on the sidewalk as if it were trying to erode the concrete in a night.

Satori peeked up the steep stairs, but retreated soon after. “I am _not_ walking home in that.” 

Wakatoshi chuckled. “I didn’t expect you to. I ordered a cab. It should be here in a few minutes.”

“You’re the best, Toshi.” Satori hugged him, fingers clutching the back of his jacket, his face buried in the crook of his neck. Wakatoshi enveloped him in his own arms, and propped his chin on Satori’s shoulder. They stayed like that, sharing warmth, as they waited for the cab.

It was quiet, a peaceful moment between them, but Wakatoshi couldn’t bring himself to interrupt it. It was intimate and romantic and lovely, but it wasn’t _right_. He didn’t want to untangle himself just for the cab to arrive or someone to walk out of the restaurant behind them. That would just be _awkward_. So, again, Wakatoshi waited.

* * *

In the backseat of the cab didn’t feel right either. It was too fleeting, public, _informal_. Wakatoshi didn’t plan a speech, or anything drastic, but the radio static and commercials between songs weren’t the proper backdrop for the question he so desperately wanted to ask. 

The night was starting to draw to a close, making Wakatoshi feel like he was running out of time. He was antsy, almost unnerved at all the plans gone wrong, all the moments not _quite_ right.

A content sigh from Satori pulled Wakatoshi out of his thoughts. He had gotten so caught up in trying to find the right moment to ask Satori, and had almost forgotten that wonderful being was right next to him. That same wonderful being that he wanted to ask to be the sun in his sky forever.

Wakatoshi curled an arm around Satori’s waist, pulling him a little closer to his side. Satori rested his head on Wakatoshi’s shoulder, at ease and serene. His hair, its red darkened unevenly by the rain, tickled Wakatoshi’s neck where the half-dried strands stuck up in all directions. Smiling, Wakatoshi smoothed it down, then pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

* * *

It was at the familiar rasp of the lock as Satori turned the deadbolt on the inside of the door of their apartment that Wakatoshi decided he couldn’t wait any longer.

“Satori, we need to talk.” Satori turned to him with wide eyes, alarm in their depths.

“Yeah, Wakatoshi? What is it?” He looked _scared_.

Wakatoshi’s hands were shaking as he reached into his pocket, Satori’s eyes following. “Satori, I love you and,” Satori’s eyes darted from his hand to his face, “I want to stay by your side forever. You once said we were opposites, like the sun and the moon. You make me better than I’ll ever be by myself, just like how the sun’s light reflects off the moon and makes it glow instead of being a dark rock hanging in the sky.” Wakatoshi got on one knee. “Will you be my sun? Will you marry me, Satori?” He offered Satori the ring, shining silver, delicate and slender, like his skin under the moonlight. The _sun’s_ redirected light.

There were tears rolling down Satori’s face as he stood, in shock. The moment stretched on, for almost an eternity, before Satori tackled Wakatoshi in a hug. Wakatoshi held them upright. 

“Yes, yes, of course! Wakatoshi, you _scared_ me!” Satori leaned back, tear tracks glistening on his face. Wakatoshi just chuckled and kissed him, his lips tasting a touch saltier than usual.

When they separated, Wakatoshi slipped the ring onto Satori’s finger and admired how the lustrous metal complemented Satori’s cool skin and graceful fingers. He brought Satori’s hand to his lips and kissed the ring, gentle and loving.

“Where’s yours, Wakatoshi, I want to put it on you!” Wakatoshi laughed and dug out the other ring, the sturdy golden match to the delicate silver one, and presented it to Satori.

Satori took it with a dramatic flourish, then slid it up Wakatoshi’s finger, finishing with a delighted laugh.

“I love you, Wakatoshi.” Satori whispered, the look in his eyes soft and affectionate.

“I love you, too, Satori.” Wakatoshi met his lips in a kiss, deep and passionate and gentle. It communicated all the love that couldn’t be put into words, all the love they would share for the rest of their lives.

Nothing went according to plan, but it was all perfect anyway.


End file.
